I just got a call from ABC News

[Autumn Colors]

To answer these survey questions:

Approve or disapprove of the job the following politicians are doing:
- George W. Bush
- Jodi Rell (my state governor)
- Christopher Dodd (my state senator)
- Joe Lieberman (my other state senator)

If the Presidential election were held today, who would you vote for in each of these pair-ups:
- Rudy Giuliani vs Al Gore
- Rudy Giuliani vs Russ Feingold
- Rudy Giuliani vs Hillary Clinton
- Newt Gingrich vs Al Gore
- Mitt Romney vs Al Gore
- Mitt Romney vs Russ Feingold
- Mitt Romney vs Hillary Clinton
- Mitt Romney vs Mark Warner

Also:
- On the subject of abortion, are you pro-life or pro-choice?
- How often do you attend church? (Almost never, occasionally, regularly)
-------------------
* I found it interesting how they used the term "church" when surveying people in the NYC metro area. I guess they don't factor into their survey that a good number of people answering the phone might not attend a "church", but rather, a synagogue, mosque, or temple.

[WCGreen]

1. I guess they consider Mitt Romney a legitimate candidate....

Oh, how low have we sunk as a country....

[Autumn Colors]

2. I was surprised they didn't include McCain (n/t)

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

19. He's the perfect candidate

A decent looking guy in an empty suit. He's a master of saying absolutely nothing while getting a lot of face time.

I swear he's a CGI creation like that actress from the Al Pacino movie a few years ago...."Simone"?

[WCGreen]

29. And he pulled off the Winter Olympics.....

He is a god amongst mortals....

A man for all states, Utah, Michigan and Mass...

And, he is a morman....

[CrushTheDLC]

31. He's not a god among mortals yet.

But according to LDS doctrine, he could be someday ;)

[WCGreen]

32. Yea, his dad was the governor of Michigan....

A serious contender for the GOP nomination back in 1968...

Until he utter this statement about Korea...

I was Brainwashed by the Koreans...

No way could he survive that....

[Melynn]

34. I thought is was about Vietnam

I thought that George Rommey said that he was brainwashed by the Defense Department about Vietnam....or in other words lied to by the Defense Department about Vietnam which was the truth. Anyway, Rommey stated that he was "brainwashed" which basically ended his political career.

[WCGreen]

35. You're right....

I was going from memory and I was about ten or eleven at the time...

[CrushTheDLC]

30. It will never happen

Twit Romney can speak every word of the neocon corporatist right wing doctrine, and he still won't get any votes from redneck states who consider the Mormon church to be a "cult". These people were still questioning Kerry's Catholicism in 2004 for fucks sake!

[City Lights]

3. I'm jealous.

The only polls I've participated in are online. I'd love to be polled over the phone.

And you're right, they should have asked how often you attend a religious service rather than how often you attend church.

[saltpoint]

4. That's pretty exciting to be phoned by a news network.

But it seems as if ABC has been its usual selective self.

I don't see the full menu of candidates.

[originalpckelly]

5. They asked about old Newt, whose name is also defined as:

"Also termed Eft or Effet. An animal of the lizard kind."

[SeaBob]

8. Newt

Thats a pretty good description of him He divorced one of his wives, the second I think when she was dieing in a hospital bed from cancer. He really does crawl on his belly

[tsuki]

23. That was the first. The second, he divorced because she had MS.

[rusty charly]

6. or ashram

[Eric J in MN]

7. I hope the Republican nominee is Newt Gingrich.

We can beat Newt Gingrich.

[napi21]

10. DON'T underestimate Newt!

I live in Ga. I would ahve thought he was toast after he resigned from the House too. NO NO! Newt is almost as good at speaking to people as BC is. This guy is corrupt and an real AH, but E=NEVER underestimate him!

[Lochloosa]

12. Agree...never...ever underestimate Newt..

[ikojo]

39. The Democrats should have been able to beat

GW Bush but they couldn't do that twice!

[napi21]

9. I realize it's probably symantics, but don't Jews and Muslims consider

the place they attend services a church too? I know there's a difference, but in a generic form, that's the way I would look at it.

[Dervill Crow]

13. For the purpose of a poll, I'll say it's church whenever I cast a circle.

It might be in my back yard, but if it's a sabbat or an esbat and I'm formally interacting with a deity, it's "church."

I hope that doesn't sound crazy, like * and his God talking to him.

[Autumn Colors]

14. Not that I've ever heard of

Church always refers to a Christian place of worship, as far as I know.

I've lived in the NYC area most of my life and have grown up around a lot of Jews (and I went to Iran as an exchange student in high school - during the Shah's era - and lived with a Shi'ite muslim family for 3 months).

I believe synagogue and temple are interchangeable regarding a Jewish place of worship.

I've never heard of anything other than mosque ("masjed" in Farsi) for a muslim place of worship.

EDIT: Oh, and Mormons also have "Temples" but those are places where only where sacred ceremonies are performed (not weekly worship services) and ONLY Mormons are allowed to set foot inside Mormon temple.

[Eric J in MN]

17. I'm Jewish, and I would never refer to a temple/synagogue...

as a "church."

[napi21]

21. I'm sorry if I offended anyone, but I'm not Jewish, and I honestly

have genericaly referred to all places of worship as churches. I don't mean to put down any other religion. I remember explaining to ny kids, when we drove past a synogue "That's a jewish church. They call theirs synogues." Do you think that is wrong?

[Eric J in MN]

24. That's fine. We do call them temples or synagogues. NT

NT

[drdtroit]

33. Not semantics at all. Church:

church | ch ?r ch | noun a building used for public Christian worship : they came to church with me. • (usu. Church) a particular Christian organization, typically one with its own clergy, buildings, and distinctive doctrines : the Church of England. • ( the Church) the hierarchy of clergy of such an organization, esp. the Roman Catholic Church or the Church of England. • institutionalized religion as a political or social force : the separation of church and state. • the body of all Christians.

:patriot:

[countmyvote4real]

11. Nice that they included Russ Feingold.

And AC was quick to pick up on the omissions like McCain, Allen, Warner, Edwards.

[Autumn Colors]

15. Warner was included, but only against MItt Romney (n/t)

[Autumn Colors]

16. oh crap, you know what? Allen was included, too. (n/t)

[countmyvote4real]

25. So how reliable are you to be an echo chamber of MSM talking points?

?
Just kidding. We obviously share some filters in kind: No McCain, Allen, etc.

[Autumn Colors]

27. Uh, I had senior moment?

I was trying to remember all of them. I knew I would forget some. Oh well. :\

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

18. Newt Gingrich?

Why not just throw Nixon in there for good measure?

[leesa]

26. My first response too...my we are at the bottom of the barrel.

[NewJeffCT]

20. CT & RI

Connecticut & Rhode Island have the highest percentages of Catholics in the nation, so it's not surprising they would use "church"

I didn't think Romney was a serious contender?

[oldtime dfl_er]

22. Pro-life or pro-choice?

I know it may be semantics also, to some, but "pro-life" and "pro-choice" are not opposites. "Anti-choice" and "pro-choice" is more correct.

But cool for getting the call!

[JohMunich99]

28. They could change the church question based on last name

A really dumb way to do it, but still. Plus, they might have religion demographics for your zip code and see that 99% of the people in your area are Christians. I mean is that possible? I know you said NYC Metro region, but how diverse is your zip code?

[Autumn Colors]

36. One small detail about the zip code thing, though ....

I live in a town of about 20,000 that has a mosque in it.

[JohMunich99]

37. I suppose no dice, but...

Is your last name something like Smith, Thompson, etc. Sounds terrible, but I think they would take the risk of offending that one person who doesn't go to church just to have the question in there.

[WinkyDink]

38. "Pro-life"? How about "anti-choice" for that position?

Since the true opposite is "pro-death".

[Sugarcoated]

40. What comes up on caller ID when they call?

I screen my calls, but I'd pick the phone up for that one.